It found that although TB infection dropped in the immediate area of the cull, it increased on adjoining farms, in effect shifting rather than solving the problem.

Professor John Bourne, author of the ISG report, said Sir David's recommendations were not consistent with the scientific findings of his report but were "consistent with the political need to do something about it".

"If you wish to go down the culling route, you have to do what the Irish are doing in large parts of their country and that is eliminate," he added.

Sir David denied he was influenced by government.

"I would never give advice based on pressure from politicians - that's precisely what went wrong in the BSE episode," he told the BBC.

Elimination

Dr Richard Yarnell from the Badger Trust said the latest report amounted to a "shameful political fix" and it "beggared belief" that the government was even thinking about implementing a cull.

Peter Kendall, president of the National Farmers' Union, told the BBC the disease was "devastating" many farming communities and the government should take heed of the new recommendation.

Farmer Peter Ganblett from Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, said farmers had exhausted all the advised preventative measures, including putting feed troughs higher and trying to keep badgers out of buildings.

"All those things we have done to no avail because the one aspect no one has been prepared to look at is the link between cattle and badgers," he said.

"The problem we are up against is everyone has the image of lovely, fluffy badgers galloping about, but cows are also entitled to lives."

The Conservative Party said the government's policy on bovine TB had "descended into a shambles".

Jim Paice, shadow agriculture minister, said: "Only a month after the Independent Scientific Group on cattle TB published its final report, the chief scientific adviser was confirming what we and many farmers believed, that the report did not adequately address the problem of bovine TB.

"What is shocking is that it has taken a further three months for this latest report to be made public."

While most cattle farmers may support a cull, it would prove unpopular with the public.

A government consultation of more than 47,000 people found that more than 95% of people were opposed to the idea.

The report comes ahead of Sir David giving evidence to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee on Wednesday.